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My long run plan also includes a 24' long portable Santa "house" (built on a trailer to the maximum height 13'6" and width 9'), which will also double as the "garage" for my sleigh. But the house (Part Two of stepping up my Santa game) will have to wait until next year. In the meantime, I have no clue where I'm going to store this sleigh, which is over 14' long (main body) and I'm not sure, maybe 9' or 10' high with the hood up. I'm not thrilled with my color choices. The main body was intended to be a distinctive red, as opposed to an orange-red, so I may have it repainted once it arrives in Cayman. Thinking something more on the lines of a candy apple red, but not sure. Also, I like the idea of using black leather (as opposed to a forest green) as the trim color, but didn't really anticipate just how huge that hood would be! The sides of the hood when it's up are like billboards, so I've got some big wreaths to hang on each side to break it up a bit. The company that built it, http://coyaltix.com is located in Poland. I just liked their work a lot more than anything I could find in the US, and the Euro is down so that helped to offset the higher shipping costs. It will be coming in a 20' steel container, so not risk of damage in transit. I'm also having them build a mini sleigh (coffee table size) that will be used more often than not as a photo prop (where kids can sit while Santa and mom and dad stand to the side or behind) with the big sleigh in the background. The mini sleigh will help to minimize the foot traffic on and off the big sleigh such that it doesn't get beat to shit in a couple of years. You have to be an elf to go on the big sleigh... so sit on this little sleigh you little fucker and quit your bitching! The mini sleigh should also help in terms of keeping the photo line moving along briskly at public events. For any private events where clients are willing to pay a significant up-charge for the big sleigh, they can crawl all over it to their heart's content. There will be logistics issues in terms of getting it out of storage and to an event on time, and then put back into storage afterwards, so I'll need another (elf) driver, such that I can move on to event #2 as the sleigh is returned to storage after event #1. My Ford Edge has been repainted in the same color as the main body of the sleigh, so it will (most likely) have to be repainted to a true red as well. The sleigh will ride on an 18' flat tilt bed tailer with a light duty winch installed in the front to avoid the need of gang pushing the sleigh onto the trailer every time it needs to be reloaded. One of my main corporate clients is already in the process of organizing a 6 hour event for the first Saturday in December, with the sleigh and 3 tons of crushed ice to create "snow" inside of a very large air conditioned tent. There will be stage show featuring myself and my team (Mrs. Claus, Miss Claus, and several elves), kind of a "day in the lives of the Claus family" but the main theme will be Santa stressing over how his reindeer have abandoned him! "I can't fly the sleigh without them!" Then a couple of reindeer will magically appear (real reindeer, imported for the day from a friend who runs a reindeer farm in Texas), and we'll have a petting zoo for a couple of hours. The event will cost upwards of $20k to put on, so there will have to be an admissions charge. But exciting, and it wouldn't have happened without the sleigh, so I'm already feeling good about this particular hole in the wallet. Over time, it will pay for itself, in one way or another. What the hell. You only live once.

Just showed this to a 3 year old who was having a tough time with her medication. Her eyes just lit up when I showed her Santa's sleigh. She asked her older brother to be brought back to the room and quietly but confidently said, "i told you he was real." Thanks Wayne.

Saw this while watching last night's ballgame...Thought of Al and Mikey

Had a great time at the California Audio Show with Ric, Al, Andrew, Grahame and others. Give me a cheap-o room set up well over a mega-bucks room set up poorly every day and twice on Sundays. Pleasant surprises for me included the ELAC speakers room and the two rooms with Audio Note speakers. Each sounded pretty darn good on a solid mid-fi budget.

Cooked a little while ago and then consumed. Grilled pizza with beer batter dough, garlic, pepperoni, green peeper and cheese. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Because I have a tough time finding people to get along and you're just them OTOH the watch was the wife's choice. I wonder what's she doing with me.

Steak

Unfortunately my local C&C is dropping off on number and quality of attendees. I was hoping it would take off but too much Sunday morning C&C competition around here I think.

And probably some sort of improved Mrs and Miss Claus too.

If Batman / Bruce Wayne had a sleigh, he'd have this sleigh. Impressive.

Your wife has seriously good taste in watches, too.

Beautiful Zenith Antonio, you are obviously a man of taste, sophistication and class. One question though, why are you here?

I came out of my first guitar less just 2 hours ago.

The other Zenith my best half got me for the 50th birthday

I think he is referring to the Caterham as a Lotus as they are the continuation of the original Lotus H.

From the Floyds today. Sweetbreads And wings with pickled watermelon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lots of great comments. Thanks! I think the color will nag at me until I get it changed. To be honest, that was a communication issue that I actually created (ironically) by being fearful that there would be a communication issue if I asked them do do anything out of the ordinary. I always wanted a candy apple red, but they're in Poland (which creates a slight language barrier, but not as severe as I feared) so I didn't want to complicate things unnecessarily. I just looked at everything on their website for a color they had used on another project, and eventually found one that was "good enough" and said, "Give me this color." Now I wish that I would have done my own color search from scratch, but this will be Ok, at least until I get it changed. Part Two will be a Santa house built on a 24' trailer with a 5' private room (changing area, storage, and a place to sit while on break time) and a 19' main room that will double as the "garage" for the sleigh throughout the year. When in use for events, the idea will be to arrive early to set everything up, which will mean pulling the sleigh out of the back of the house and setting it up as a roped off "prop" in front of the house. Then close the rear ramp door and set up a Santa throne where the sleigh was. I'll have my own photographer, which will allow me/us to take in the "concessions" aspect of the business (rather than being paid a fixed hourly fee). Will also have a couple of elf assistants to deal with photo sales (and t-shirts, coffee mugs and believer bells all featuring myself and the sleigh and/or house, but the merchandising will be limited so it doesn't become too tacky). There will be an "in" door on one side of the house as far away from the Santa throne as possible (on the same side of the house that the sleigh is displayed, and where the crowd will gather), and an "out" door on the other side of the house. This will allow the traffic to flow smoothly without the people waiting in line getting in the way of the photographer or the family being photographed. I'm trying to figure out how to install a fold down section of one of the side walls, about 12' long, such that a mini "stage" could be set up. The fold down wall would be supported by 4" x 4" legs that would be hinged to the upper part of the wall. So the idea would be to release a couple of clips, and then ease down the side wall, 12' long and 8' high. Then we can put on a "story time" type of stage show (Santa, Mrs. Claus, Miss Claus, and several elves) for about 45 minutes before closing the house back up and setting up the photo operation. That way, all of the kids get free entertainment, and they can come as often as they like, but they wouldn't necessarily need to wait for an hour or more for pictures. The idea of the stage show would be to rotate through 4 or 5 different impromptu mini performances where the Claus family discussed various issues they are facing at the North Pole, trying to get ready for Christmas. One could focus on the reindeer, another on the elves, another on toy making, etc. But every night, it would be something different. Do the shows on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. So there would be a Monday night show, maybe with different characters, as well as a different theme, than the Tuesday night show, etc. Do this every week in December. Then if demand builds, the next year you start during the last week of November. Then each year, keep adding another week until you've over-saturated the market, or people start writing letters to the editor about "too much Santa, too soon" and how it's supposed to be about Jesus. One of the "shows" will actually be about that very topic, so hopefully that will help to diffuse the Christian right push back. That would give me all day Saturday and Sunday (very busy days) to do my usual assortment of corporate events (with or without the sleigh and/or house), and during the week nights I could still do several family visits after the shows. Part of the "grand plan" is to allow Santa to not only become "real" but to become a "friend" to everyone in the community. Once I have the house built, I'll have several new Santa suits made, in all sorts of colors other than red and white. An outdoors "woodsman" look, a regal gold and cream look with brown fur... my "wish list" for the different outfits and color combinations I have in mind is practically endless. But Santa is just like anyone else. He doesn't, and shouldn't, wear the same clothes every single day! Not if he's real... But one step at a time. Just glad that I finally pulled the trigger on the sleigh.

Good thought, but I've got 7 suits at the moment, each with a matching royal robe, and one more suit/robe combo being made for this year... but this actually matches the suit I like the most in terms of design, but the least in terms of color! I think candy apple red or something similar is in the future. I just don't know if it makes sense for this year or not.

I didn't take any.

Throbbing Gristle bring you 20 Jazz Funk Greats (from http://www.factmag.com/2014/07/14/the-100-best-albums-of-the-1970s/):

Wow! Can't wait to see you in that beauty. Now I totally understand how you ended up with the most epic headphone collection ever!

Meh, doesn't look set up for Dolby Atmos.

Hard to get red right in photos, maybe they can send you a paint chip to check it out before it arrives. Also, I think you should remover the wheels and make some sort of hollow base and then mount it to the Ariel Atom. You'd be the hit of the parade...for 46 seconds.

My money's still good with them. Most guitar shops like me -- the rest at least pretend.

Stuck around a while listening and chatting with Tape Project/Bottlehead pals. I listened to those Elac's 4 times and was impressed each time (also found out they are designed by Andrew Jones of TAD/Pioneer). At $300 a pair (the ones at the show are $229 a pair) they may be too good to resist.

I thought a foam cannon was a euphemism for something else.

I've been using a hot air gun and solder paste. I'm really loving it.

Will you have another lesson or were you banned?

It was awesome, those little sons of bitches are fast. A few of my shots.

Red Bull Global Rallycross was awesome: That was a lot of fun! Lots of waiting around for the races but when they were on they were manic!

I'm here with Ric, T-Money Adam and Particleman14 Andrew on the third floor heading down to the second floor soonish. Steve or Mikey here?

The Stranglers – Aural Sculpture

My pay switched over this month, from max withholding to 2.5% and 10% match. Also lowered 403b and mutual fund auto contributions. Holy shit, I have money now. I can eat meat this weekend! /laughs uncontrollably

Corona of sirloin with fried eggs.

It would appear that a whole lot of douche bags seems to gravitate to the VW brand. This things was like beer douches x 100. Still ended up being a decent day.

No idea what they are, But they ought to be christened the PornoHorn